Christian Peterson
reporter@riverbendnews.org
Recognized annually on Oct. 5, World Teacher's Day celebrates how teachers transform education and students. It also helps support teachers through the challenges they face so they are able to do their absolute best in their vocation.
Mary Vickers is the Surgical Technology instructor at RIVEROAK Technical College in Live Oak. Although she is new to the scene, Vickers is already making a big impact on students at RIVEROAK. She was born in Tallahassee in 1992, and her family eventually made their way to Suwannee County, where she graduated from Suwannee High School in 2010. After graduating, Vickers took the route to college. However, during her college experience, she realized she wanted to find opportunities within the technical college field instead of community college or university. She decided to return to the Suwannee School District and began a new career path with RIVEROAK.
In 2015, Vickers started the Patient Care Assistance program at RIVEROAK. After that, she became a certified nursing assistant for a few years, but her mind couldn't forget the Surgical Technology program she had heard about while at RIVEROAK. So, in 2018, Vickers returned once more to RIVEROAK and, in July 2019, she graduated from the Surgical Technology program. However, teaching had not yet entered her brain as the next step in her career.
Vickers helped out students after graduating, teaching them as they went through their clinical rotations at the hospital. She found herself falling in love with the practice and began to want to teach Surgical Technology. Then, the opportunity presented itself once more at RIVEROAK. “I never thought that, one day, I would be the instructor for the program,” Vickers said.
Now, as a first-time teacher, Vickers has a unique insight into the teaching world with a fresh set of eyes. “The hardest part of becoming a teacher is knowing that I am the sole person that is instilling all the information and knowledge necessary into these students,” Vickers said. She explained she had to make sure the information was retainable and accurate, even without a previous teaching background. While teaching is a tough gig, there are certainly highlights. “The best part about being a teacher is knowing that, soon enough, I will watch their growth through this program, and I will get to watch them graduate and know that I was the reason the were able to achieve that success story.” Vickers remains dedicated to her students, remembering that she was once in their shoes. “I was once that scared student in the classroom learning the art of surgical technology; learning the anatomy, the physiology, the various instruments and surgeries.” She finds this inspirational to help the scared students find their footing and become a top-tier surgical technician.
Of course, Vickers acknowledges this isn't possible only because of her; she cites her husband, TJ Vickers, who has helped her along the way and been her biggest cheerleader. “He is my rock and, without him, I would have told myself that I could not do this,” Vickers said. She also said both her mother and mother-in-law where huge inspirations. “Both worked with ESE students and are the epitome of what I want to be as my career in teaching continues to grow.” When asked to sum up the teaching experience, Vickers said, “Being a teacher, so far, has been the hardest yet most rewarding experience. I can't wait to watch my students grow through this program.”